$650 million for 1141 health projects

MORE than $650 million will be spent on medical research programs around Australia, with $200 million to be spent on projects in Queensland and New South Wales.

The 1141 projects were announced on Friday by Health Minister Tanya Plibersek, as part of the National Health and Medical Research Council annual program.

While the programs will start next year, funding was allocated in the 2012-13 federal budget.

The projects include a $1.3 million University of Sydney text message program to help people stick to medicine regimes and a $673,000 University of Adelaide project to analyse the contribution of maternal obesity and gestational weight gain to childhood obesity.

Ms Plibersek said the continued investment in medical research was helping to build a stronger economy and reduce disease in Australians.

The most funding went to projects based in Victoria, with the state's universities getting more than $290 million of the total pool.